Take me to new heights
by Insanity-is-Freedom
Summary: Luffy finds a mystery bird that has collapsed from exhaustion and takes it home. But birds are meant for the sky and in time, he will have to let him go. Marco/Luffy, now a twoshot with a bonus side-story.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first fic for this fandom so I hope it won't be too strange. It's a oneshot at the moment but if I get inspired and/or get reviews (*wink, wink*) I might write another chapter.**

 **This is a Marco/Luffy fic but it's very mild. Luffy is sixteen in this fic: so after Ace left but before he leaves Dawn island. I'm assuming Marco is relatively old since he is a phoenix and he never seems to age. If you're bothered by the age gap: don't read and please spare me the pedophilia comments. Believe me I've heard it all before.  
**

 **Disclaimer is the usual: if I owned One Piece, Ace wouldn't have died and Marco would be on screen all the time.  
**

 **Having said that I hope you enjoy the read and leave a review on your way out ;)**

* * *

He woke up to the sound of a steady heartbeat and the warmth of the body he was pressed against. His eyes fluttered open and he attempted to wriggle free from the tender arms holding him. The movement alerted the young boy who was carrying him and he looked down, smiling down at the bird.

"You woke up! That's great! Don't move too much though. You looked pretty exhausted back there."

Marco ceased struggling, gawking curiously at the juvenile face smiling down at him, lips stretched impossibly wide and a familiar straw hat placed on top of silky black locks.

He briefly where 'back there' was, as he had no idea how he had gotten in his current situation. His memories from the past days were muddled at best although he reckoned he would remember more after a while.

"I'm taking you to my home. I think you should rest a bit before you leave again." the boy told him as he continued on his way.

Marco leant back into the arms of his benefactor, glancing around him curiously and wondering if he would recognize the island he had landed in – or crashed on depending how you saw it. His examination left him bewildered. The forest they were walking into looked just like any other. The trees were common enough and there were no sign of prehistoric creatures as could be found in Little Garden.

Marco would have liked to enquire about his whereabouts but the exhaustion of his body left him unable to transform back into a human. He would have to rest a few days in order to get back to normal.

It was a frustrating state to be in. Despite his father's mark still being clearly visible on his torso, he felt much more vulnerable in this form. After all, his flames were temporarily extinguished and a phoenix made for a wonderful trophy for men with ill intentions. As far as he could tell the boy looked sincere enough. At least for now, he would let this boy have his way. If it turned out the boy could not be trusted after all there would be time enough to escape later. He didn't think he would be able to fly right away anyway. Flying into that storm had exhausted him. His phoenix fire might heal his injuries in an instant, it did nothing for the weariness of his limbs.

He wondered how far that storm had pushed him. He had been flying over Jaya when the violent winds and storm clouds had caught up to him. To think his mission in Paradise was supposed to be an easy one…It sure had turned for the worse in a matter of seconds.

Well, nothing he could do about it now, he supposed.

Eventually, they stopped at the bottom of a tall tree in which a tree house had been clumsily built. In fact, it looked more like an observation post than a house, with its single window that took up almost the entire width of the wall.

"Here we are!" the boy announced, pausing for a moment to let the bird take in the sight of the house before he started climbing up. "This is the tree house me and my brothers built!" he informed his 'guest' as he emerged from the hole in the floor of the cabin that served as an entrance.

The tree house was not very spacious and seemed to be furnished with the bare minimum, which essentially consisted of sheets and pillows thrown on the floor and a first aid kit near the entrance. There was also a map fixed on the wall which Marco found himself immediately interested in. It looked both out of place and strangely at home and Marco briefly wondered if it had been pinned to the wall by one of the boy's brothers. He stretched his neck to take a better look at it, hoping it would give him a clue as to where he was.

"Hmm? Oh this is a map of East Blue." the boy told him catching the object of his interest and walking closer to it. "We're here see?" he said pointing at a small island labelled Dawn Island, another label indicated that part of the island made up Goa Kingdom.

Marco could feel his eyes widening. East Blue? Had he flown over Calm Belt without realizing? He must have, how else would he have gotten from Paradise to East Blue overnight?

He was brought of his surprise as the youth turned around thus hiding the map from Marco's view. The boy went to pick up a blanket and fashioned a makeshift nest in which he delicately placed his charge.

"There you go. I hope you're comfortable enough in this."

Marco looked up at the boy's sincere expression and nodded. He really felt grateful for the boy's kindness, but he still felt a bit wary. Call him paranoid, but he had trouble trusting that the boy did not have an ulterior motive. Although he couldn't see this boy being affiliated with slave traders who would find a phoenix to be a valuable rarity, he still couldn't help being on his guard.

"I'm Luffy, by the way." the boy said as he put some water in a bowl.

The recipient was placed in front of Marco and the bird happily dipped his beak into the water. He drank his fill under the boy's watchful gaze. Being stared at so intently unnerved Marco greatly and when he was done drinking he lifted his head, staring into the boy's eye fixedly.

The boy grinned.

"You're really beautiful you know."

Marco was glad he was in his phoenix form because otherwise he would have been blushing at the sudden praise. He knew that his phoenix made for quite the impressive sight but no one had ever told him he was beautiful to his face. It was especially flustering when it was said with such openness and innocence.

"You're so pretty and blue! And you look smart. You can understand what I'm saying can't you? that's so COOL! Like a mystery bird!"

The boy seemed to be on a roll as he babbled and gushed over the so-called mystery bird.

Marco squirmed a little as the boy beamed at him, finally running out words. He didn't know how he was supposed to react to the deluge of praise he had just received but figured a 'thank you' was in order. Not really expecting Luffy to understand its meaning, Marco gave a soft trill.

 _Thank you._

"You're welcome!" Luffy exclaimed with a giant grin, much to Marco's surprise.

* * *

When Marco woke up again it was the middle of the night. He blinked groggily several times still hearing the song that had been playing in his dreams. He soon realized the sweet melody was very much real and he looked up to see Luffy sitting on the window sill and singing softly as he looked out to the sea.

" _You'll fly away one day,_

 _No matter what you say,_

 _I know you love the sea,_

 _Much more than you do me."_

The song was soft as a caress and Marco felt his eyelids grow heavy again. He hadn't known Luffy could sing. He had a good voice too. True to his nature as a phoenix, Marco liked songs although his own voice was nothing special. Luffy's voice however carried pleasantly into the night, surprisingly soft compared to the loud voice Marco had associated with the boy in the first few minutes of their acquaintance.

" _I will remain alone,_

 _Long after you have gone,_

 _I will sing my sorrow,_

 _To winds that always blow."_

If he wasn't feeling so groggy Marco would have liked to fly over to the boy to listen better. It was such a pretty song. Sad though. Something that baffled him considering how _happy_ Luffy had seemed during the day.

As he drifted back to sleep his heart went to the young boy who looked out to the sea and sang songs of lost love.

* * *

Luffy was an odd boy, Marco was quick to discover, but also a very endearing one. After the initial day of rest, Marco had started following the boy when he went out and had thus been exposed to the shocking experience of hunting with the wild monkey of a boy. He hadn't even known there were such big animals in East Blue. Or in any of the Blues for that matter. Even more shocking was the ease with which Luffy could kill a bear and eat it whole, leaving barely enough for Marco to feast on. When he had first witnessed such a hunt he had been stunned to discover the boy was a Devil fruit user. A rubber man who had eaten the Gomu gomu no Mi, as the boy cheerfully informed him upon seeing blink owlishly at his elongated arm.

The boy always looked wildly happy during those times and Marco had grown fond of the too-wide grin that seemed permanently etched onto the boy's face. It appeared to only last until nightfall however. The dark hours tended to make the boy more thoughtful, morose even.

"Hey, do you have a family?" the boy asked one such evening.

Marco looked up at the boy sitting on the windowsill from where he lay in his makeshift nest. The boy's gaze was faraway and Marco supposed he was thinking about the brothers he had previously mentioned. Images of his own brothers flashed into his mind and he nodded soberly. They were all annoying and noisy but he was starting to miss his idiot brothers and sisters.

"That's nice." Luffy commented wistfully. "I hope you can see them again soon."

Hearing the slight quiver in the boy's voice, Marco raised himself in concern. With a flap of his large wings, he flew to the boy and dropped into his lap, gazing up at him with eyes full of concern. Immediately arms wrapped around and squeezed him to the boy's chest.

"I'm going to miss you when you leave." Luffy said quietly, eyes glassy as he looked out the window.

The boy said it as if there was no doubt he would end up leaving him. And of course there wasn't, Marco though with a pang of guilt. Just like the man in the song that Luffy hummed on certain nights, he would fly away and never come back. Because he loved the sea.

He heard the boy's sharp intake of breath before the teen spoke again, tone much brighter and easy-going.

"Next year I'm going to leave this place." Luffy told him. "I'm going to sail as a pirate and one day I'll become the King of Pirates!"

If he had been in his human form, Marco would have been smiling at the boy's candour. But as he was not and because he was pressed against the boy's chest, he could feel the slight trembling of the boy's arms and he could tell the enthusiastic announcement was just a way to distract himself from the sadness.

"Should I sing you a song?" Luffy asked quietly after a while, a ghost of a smile floating on his lips as he looked down fondly at the bird in his lap.

Marco tilted his head forward, making himself comfortable as Luffy began singing. He would miss this, he thought, closing his eyes as he basked in the peace of the moment.

* * *

That night, Marco waited until Luffy's breathing evened out before extracting himself from the boy's embrace. For the first time in a while, he let go of his bird form in order to stand on two feet. He caressed the boy's cheek with the tip of his fingers before carefully lifting him up in his arms. He laid him down on the pile of sheets that served as a makeshift bed and threw a blanket over the boy's sleeping form.

He should leave he knew. Luffy had probably known too. There was no reason not to. He was completely better and he knew he would be able to make the trip across Calm Belt and back to Paradise. The only thing holding him back was Luffy.

In the countless decades he had lived since attaining near immortality, Marco could not remember anyone who had made such a strong impression on him. It baffled him how quickly Luffy had become someone he found himself reluctant to leave. He had never been big on physical contact but he never found it uncomfortable to be held by the boy. He loved Luffy's smile and knew instinctively that he had already reached a level of protectiveness on par with what he felt for his countless siblings. He enjoyed listening to the boy's singing. He could see himself spending centuries in the boy's warmth, watching the sun go down while listening to his songs.

But he couldn't do that. His family was most likely worried by now and he must be getting back to them. Besides, Luffy was too young. That was possibly the biggest mystery yet. Why was it that after decades of remaining single the first person he fell in love with – it seemed foolish to deny it now – was a boy years younger than he was, who probably didn't know the first thing about romantic love?

Marco sighed as he gazed at the sleeping figure. He really had to go. The more he waited the more difficult it would get to leave.

Before he regained enough sense and morality to stop himself he bent down to press a light kiss on the boy's brow and pushed himself to his feet, resolutely guiding his steps to the window. With one swift leap he was soaring above the forest as a phoenix wrapped in light blue flames.

In the treehouse he had left behind, a boy's eyes opened and his hand reached to his brow where the tingle of a feather-light kiss remained. His lips stretched into a small smile as a tear rolled down his cheeks.

"Goodbye." he whispered into the night.

Luffy dried his stray tear and smiled bitterly. He knew his mystery bird hadn't heard him, couldn't as he was most likely flying above faraway oceans. Where he belonged.


	2. Chapter 2

**The sequel! At last! It took me long enough, but I've finally managed to write a sequel that doesn't make me cringe. It's still kind of short and the part where Marco realizes that Ace and Luffy are brothers is tiny, but I hope you'll like it all the same.**

 **Considering how long it took me to manage this second chapter, I don't know if I'll EVER be able to write that Marineford chapter but AT LEAST you've got this ;)**

* * *

It's Luffy who finds him and he wonders if he should see a pattern there. He certainly feels weary from flying long distances, although this time he did land properly.

It's been almost two years since then and if he's honest Marco hasn't thought of it much. There was a lingering ache as he flew back to the Moby Dick and that haunting song echoing in his head, but once he is back in the chaotic energy of the crew, surrounded by his rowdy brothers and smothered in their affection, little else can inhabit his mind.

He doesn't forget exactly. There are times when he thinks back to that little island in East Blue, to the house in the trees and that boy whose smile is brighter than the sun. But most of the time he doesn't think of it. There's only the awareness that he left his heart back there and his eyes don't stray on women or men anymore. After all, there's no one with a smile as beautiful as Luffy's.

It is still true that he hasn't thought of him in a while, and it is a shock to see him standing in his line of vision so suddenly. There has been no indication that he would meet the straw-hatted pirate during his mission in Paradise and he certainly hasn't considered the possibility of encountering him on the inhabited island he has chosen to take a break on.

As a result he is left to stare in shock, gaping as much as birds can gape, eyes wide as saucepans as he tries to make himself believe he is not dreaming.

Luffy is not much better. He has stopped in his race abruptly, eyes locking onto the flaming bird with a look of astonishment. His jaw is hanging open and his eyes are unblinking. When Luffy's image doesn't suddenly vanish and the boy is still standing in the same step more real than ever, Marco's heartbeat starts picking up. The reality of _Luffy being here_ is sinking in and all at once the dam opens. The long-forgotten warmth washes over him and makes his blood thrum with joy.

"My mystery bird."

The words are soft, just a murmur, but they make his entire body shiver.

There is always something in being _someone's_. Being Whitebeard's _son_ makes him happy. It makes his mouth twist in a smile, it sets him at ease and makes him look ahead confidently. Being Thatch, Ace and Izo's _brother_ makes him proud. He doesn't think their relationship would have changed much if they had been friend instead, they would have smiled and laughed just the same. But he always feels something fierce and proud rise in him when he points at one of them and says 'that's my brother'. It makes him proud in a different way than being the strongest man in the world's first mate does. It makes him glad too. Glad that he followed that strange man all those years ago, that young fool who dreamt of creating a family on those traitorous seas.

All of these titles make strong feelings arise in him, but more than anything it is being Luffy's _mystery bird_ that gets to him. As the boy says those words, a tender smile on his face and eyes softened with love, Marco feels like preening obnoxiously. It makes him feel _elated_ , drunk in the same way that he was the day he took to the skies and _flew_. All at once, he wants to puff out his chest, bury his feathered head in the boy's neck and turn back into his human form to embrace him.

There is perhaps nothing prestigious about being Luffy's mystery bird, but no title has ever been as precious to Marco as this one.

* * *

They end up in a tree, Luffy sitting his back against the trunk, holding Marco against him and gently carding his fingers through the phoenix's feathers.

For a long time, Luffy doesn't speak. He hums nostalgic words with an absent look on his face.

" _You'll fly away one day,_

 _No matter what you say,_

 _I know you love the sea,_

 _Much more than you do me._

 _I will remain alone,_

 _Long after you have gone,_

 _I will sing my sorrow,_

 _To winds that always blow."_

Marco leans into the boy's chest, closing his eyes to better enjoy the soft melody and the sensation of tender fingers caressing his plumage.

" _I won't ever forget,_

 _I wish I could and yet,_

 _I remember us and smile,_

 _As I have all this while._

 _Don't doubt I love you still,_

 _As I wait on the hill,_

 _Looking out to the sea,_

 _She who stole you from me._

 _I have never blamed you,_

 _Nor will I ever do,_

 _You need not be with me,_

 _So long as you are free._

 _But grant me this one wish,_

 _To appease my anguish,_

 _Swear your very last thought,_

 _Will be of me or nought."_

The song ends and Marco opens his eyes, almost startled by the new silence. He looks up to find Luffy looking down at him. The boy is smiling secretly as if he has just remembered something no one else knows.

"You never said goodbye." Luffy says, his voice isn't as accusing as it could have been, then he adds: "And that's not how you kiss properly."

The tone is light and teasing but it makes Marco jump out of the boy's loose embrace and dash up on a higher branch, heart hammering in his chest. He doesn't know if he should feel happy or mortified that Luffy was awake to feel that kiss on his forehead. For now, he can only feel stunned by the realization. Then, there's a little voice murmuring in his mind that Luffy hasn't actually said he had disliked it. If he had, he wouldn't have been so quick to hold Marco against him.

The phoenix's eyes fall back on the boy's face. He looks thoughtful.

"Hey," he says softly and his voice has lost some of that childishness that Marcos has always associated with him. "Won't you show me what you look like? I want to know your name. And then…" he hesitates and there's a note of uncertainty in his next words. "Then maybe…you can try kissing me properly?"

Marco realizes then that Luffy isn't a child. He's an adult. A childish one maybe but not as immature as his general attitude may bring one to believe.

Slowly, he relaxes his shoulder, taking in the anxiousness in the boy's eyes and the growing disappointment in his frown as Marco remains silent. Then, he opens his wings and drops from his perch, diving down to the ground without a backwards glance. He lands on two feet and leans against the trunk, feeling suddenly breathless. Then, he waits.

It takes a few moments for Luffy to react and to start climbing down and Marco takes the opportunity to try and calm the painful beating of his heart. Then, Luffy drops to the ground and moves around the tree. His dark eyes stare at Marco intensely, as if engraving every detail of the man's feature in his mind. The boy moves unconsciously closer, eyes still wide and fixed on Marco's face. Feeling ever so slightly self-conscious the man clears his throat.

"Marco." he tells the boy. "My name is Marco." he completes when he sees the confusion washing over the boy's face.

Understanding washes over the boy's face and he beams up at Marco as if he had just found the One Piece.

"Marco." he repeats.

He likes the way his name sounds when Luffy says it, he thinks.

"Now you need to kiss me." Luffy says very seriously.

Marco blinks and laughs. Because there's only Luffy to demand a kiss this way, with complete confidence and not an ounce of shame.

"Yeah, I suppose I do, yoi." he answers, still chuckling.

He says it like it's a chore and it makes Luffy pout adorably, but he's smiling when he bends to capture the boy's lips with his own and it doesn't take much coaxing before Luffy is kissing back, as passionately as he does everything else.

* * *

Later, when Luffy is buried in his arms, his fingers clinging to Marco's shirt and his lips swollen, he smiles secretly to himself.

"Marco, my mystery bird." he murmurs, and there's a new meaning hidden in those words.

Marco smiles down tenderly at his sleepy lover and gently kisses his brow. There will be time enough for other things later. For now just holding him is enough.

(When he goes back to the Moby Dick after a month of absence, Ace brandishes a wanted poster with Luffy's face on it and declares him his little brother with an overwhelming amount of pride. Marco is suddenly glad that he hasn't gone further with the boy because he doesn't know how he would have faced Ace otherwise. Especially not when the boy spends hours bragging about his _adorable_ little brother, who already has a bounty and has made a name for himself by defeating Arlong.

He decides then and there that he will keep his relationship with Luffy from Ace for as long as he can. After all, what Ace doesn't know can't hurt him. Or Marco, incidentally.)


	3. Side-Story 1: A Prayer for a Brother

Thatch starts noticing changes in Marco's behaviour soon after the phoenix comes back from a trip to Paradise. At first, Thatch doesn't take much notice. They are after all small, easily overlooked things. Marco was never the most expressive of his brothers in the first place, and the changes he witnesses now are no different. If Marco hadn't been the closest thing to a best friend he ever had, he might have missed it entirely.

He first notices something is afoot the very moment Marco places a foot on the Moby Dick. While the blonde man's face is as impassive as usual, Thatch can feel the man is not in the best of moods. The atmosphere around him is heavy as Marco stalks past him. He rather looks like the only thing he wants is to walk right past without a word of acknowledgment, but he stops anyway and turns to greet Thatch.

The cook puts it down to fatigue and kindly asks if Marco would like him to bring some food to his room. Marco shakes his head warily muttering he feels too tired. Thatch's gaze follow his brother as he disappears inside the ship. Then, Ace falls overboard and Thatch forgets all about it.

The next morning Marco is back to normal, and Thatch gives it no further thought. That is, until he catches his oldest brother standing on deck one night, frozen next to the railing, eyes lost into the vague. Marco is perfectly immobile and he doesn't seem to notice Thatch approaching him at all. Concerned, the cook advances towards him but stops as the man's expression come into view. There's something distant in the way he gazes out at the ocean as if he's looking for something there as far away as it is intangible. Marco looks almost like a lost child and Thatch suddenly feels like he might be intruding. He gives his brother a last glance and tiptoes back inside.

He never speaks of it but it stays in his mind and after that he starts noticing more. How Marco stops in his work sometimes to look out to sea as if hearing something nobody else can. It only last a moment and he is soon back to work, as if nothing ever happened and no one is the wiser. Except Thatch who waits for those moments like a beast stalking its prey. There are also those mornings when Marco walks in the galley looking _dark_. On those particular days, most of their brothers take care to stay well out of his way and it is up to Thatch to make sure Marco does not just toy with the food in his plate but eats as well.

Then one day, Thatch has the misfortune of making a woman related joke and Marco glares at him. It's not the usual _shut-your-mouth-you-idiot_ glare but a full-blown _I'm-going-to-pull-your-heart-out-of-your-throat-if-you-don't-shut-up-right-now_ glare. Thatch has never found himself confronted to such a murderous expression on Marco's face and his mouth shuts with a click. Without a word, Marco pulls himself away from the arm Thatch has thrown around his shoulders and stalks away moodily. Thatch never mentions women or love in front of Marco again.

After that particular occurrence, Thatch decides to give the man and his problems a wide birth. He does want to know what is up with the First Mate, and if possible help him out too, but he doesn't want to lose his life doing it, thank you very much.

He has almost given up on ever knowing what causes Marco strange moods when Ace brandishes a rookie's wanted poster and announces loudly that this is his little brother before launching into a stream of information on the young grinning pirate. Thatch is listening distractedly, amused by Ace's very obvious brother complex when he catches sight of Marco looking at the wanted poster with a faint smile playing on his lips. Thatch has to pinch himself because he can count on one hand the number of times he has seen Marco smiling so disarmingly.

His lips slowly stretch in a grin as understanding washes over Thatch. He doesn't know when it happened or even how, but Marco clearly knows Ace's little brother and if his newly acquired quirks are to be believed, he may very well have a thing for the kid. Thatch swells up in pride at the realization. He has always known Marco to be a loner, someone who looked at others from afar and the fact that this man has finally found someone he can look at with such adoration makes Thatch giddy with happiness. It is then and there that he appoints himself as the guardian angel of Marco and his young lover – or crush…or whatever.

From that day on, he makes sure that every article about Strawhat Luffy reaches Marco and he even manages to 'lose' one the kid's wanted poster near Marco's room. He is glad to see when he passed by the man's door an hour later, that the poster has disappeared. He listens more attentively when Ace talks about his little brother so that he can tell Marco some of those things as well, and Marco might grumble that it never ends with both Ace _and_ Thatch harping him on about the kid, but there's a shadow of a smile on his face and he always listens to the end.

When Thatch finds himself lying in a pool of his own blood, betrayed by a brother and slowly slipping away from the world of the living, he starts thinking about Marco and his boy, how he wouldn't be able to watch over them anymore, and how Ace was going to be so angry when he found out. A smile made its way to his lips. That was bound to be hilarious, it made him wish he could see it. Then Marco was at his side calling his name in a panic and Thatch was grinning at him, looking up fondly at his favourite brother.

"I hope you can meet him again." he tells him, sight blurring and his grip on reality loosening. "I'm glad." he murmurs, and closes his eyes to the world.


End file.
